Judge upholds award in Ventura defamation lawsuit

Aug. 8, 2014 - 01:53PM
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In this July 22 file photo, former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, center, arrives at court with his wife, Terry, and others for his defamation lawsuit against 'American Sniper' author Chris Kyle in St. Paul, Minn. (Jim Gehrz/AP)

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ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled a $1.8 million defamation damage award to former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura is reasonable.

A federal jury last month sided with the former pro wrestler and movie actor in his two-year fight to prove he was defamed by a military sniper and best-selling author who claimed to have punched out Ventura at a bar for bad-mouthing the Navy SEALs.

The jury found “American Sniper” author Chris Kyle’s claim was false and defamatory. Jurors awarded $500,000 for damages and advised $1.3 million for “unjust enrichment,” or how much money Kyle improperly made from the claim.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press (http://bit.ly/1pGsewd ) reports Judge Richard Kyle, who is unrelated to the deceased author, upheld the jury’s enrichment figure Thursday, saying it’s “reasonable and supported by a preponderance of the evidence.”